Schizophrenics at Highly Elevated Cancer Risk Due to Anti-Psychotics
(update 2026: I’ve cut and pasted the original article below my comments. Furious Seasons is no longer available online. A while back Philip Dawdy gave me permission to copy any of his articles in the archives which one can find on The Way Back Machine. Philip’s work helped shape me in the early days of the internet and blogging so I’m pleased to share some of his work as part of my archives)
Schizophrenics at Highly Elevated Cancer Risk Due to Anti-Psychotics ~~
That’s a headline at Furious Seasons today. Follow the link, I’m not up to writing much except to say that as Philip points out the paper on the study is completely unclear about the bipolar people in the study, but I would be willing to bet that the key factor is indeed anti-psychotics and not the convenient psychiatric label you’ve been stuck with.
In other words, anti-psychotics cause elevated cancer risk.
And the pretty thing? It’s a 308% increase in colon cancer. The cancer that killed my brother three months ago yesterday.
I’ve been on antipsychotics for 20 years. Pretty much non-stop the whole time. And very high doses for 15 years. It’s just another moment in this process that I shake and cry with rage. I used to say years ago, “I wonder what the long term effects of these drugs might be?” But I never thought I had an option.
Remember I was on more than 1000% more antipsychotic than I am on now. WTF for?? I’m virtually off all of it now and better for it.
If you don’t read Furious Seasons often, you should. Philip documents with lots of scientific proof how these drugs don’t work and how it makes no sense, except in perhaps critical moments of crisis to use many of these drugs at all. I’m not good at collecting all that data. Philip’s site is a goldmine of information. It’s worth rummaging through the archives.
HERE IS THE ARTICLE FROM PHILIP DAWDY’s site Furious Seasons:
December 04, 2007
Schizophrenics At Highly Elevated Cancer Risk Due To Anti-Psychotics
That headline should shock you and so should this paper from this month’s Archives of General Psychiatry. British researchers looked into cancer risks associated with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. They found that bipolars–and here one assumes that these were BPers not on anti-psychotics or the researchers would’ve specified as much–have a risk of cancer about the same as non-bipolars. For schizophrenics:
“Patients with schizophrenia taking antipsychotics had a 308% increased colon cancer risk.”
Interestingly, they had a slightly lower risk of respiratory cancer than other populations, which is kind of interesting given how many people with schizophrenia blow through cigarettes. And, then, the study’s conclusion:
“The increased risk of colon cancer is particularly marked in patients with schizophrenia who take antipsychotic medications.”
I’m not making this stuff up people. Just passing along independent peer-reviewed research, the kind that makes you wonder if psychiatrists actually happen to read academic journals, given current practices in the industry. That’s not to say that anti-psychotics cause colon cancer per se–that would require further study–but something rather ugly is clearly going on here.
As I noted yesterday, I have a tough time building an ethical case for the long-term use of anti-psychotics even in treating schizophrenia. That case just got even harder to make.
Why are we pressing so many Americans to take these drugs long-term for conditions that are not generally psychotic? I wonder how parents of all these bipolar children and ADHD kids, who seem to be getting anti-psychotics the way docs once handed out Ritalin, feel about this kind of finding. Not too mention everyone else.
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This is timely as media reports colorectal cancer deaths increasing for younger and younger folks. And the RXs are widely prescribed across “diagnoses.” Supplement other RX where outcomes disappoint. Many variables in addition to “AP,” including access to nutritious foods and other RX’s, perhaps opiates. All due to dominant culture assault on diversity in my opinion. Before we diagnose individuals, diagnose dominance and abuse of power in socities.
Oh, great.
Glad I stopped bothering with the Xyprexa, then.
There isn’t enough respect by medical doctors for people who are labled mentally ill.
We have to counter-balance that by having respect for ourselves – watching out for one-another.
Antonin Zanetti
Mark,
It happens all the time here too. I’ve been lucky and never had a totally disrespectful MD—but I’ve heard of a couple of stories of people who have psych diagnosis who have almost died because the doctors thought their illness was in their head. And lots more less serious cases of not being taken seriously. It’s a major problem.
by the way, as a mentally ill person, your physical health is likely to be ignored when/if you go for a check.
I got the spanish inquisition of my mental health, here in Montreal Canada, when all I wanted/needed was a blood test.
Don’t mention you have a mental illness when/if you go to the ER or you with be typcast and put with the delusional section.
You can read the love(sarcastic) on the blogs of emergency room,emergency department workers.
I am pretty sure this is a large factor as well. If a mental patient happens to find the strength/will to complain of physical health pain after forced psychiatry, their claims have a good chance of being percieved as mentally ill delusions, with no scientific tests to confirm or deny. That is here in Canada, in the US it might be different as you guys can sue for malpractise
Amazing how this article points to ‘mentally ill’ people not having the sense to know how to find appropriate medical care – as if this is the reason for the dramatic decrease in life expectency –
It’s such a no-brainer to anyone who can do math – more ‘mentally ill’ people on psych drugs – and living shorter and shorter lives –
NAMI and the Treatment Advocacy Center are a joke –
hillarious –
they are killing us (literally).
Duane
and cancer is just the latest discovery Cricket. they also cause diabetes and heart disease.
people who have been on neuroleptics long-term live 25 years less on average.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-05-03-mental-illness_N.htm
They are poisons.
Tremors have nothing on cancer. I had no idea. Here, I’ve been brainwashed that I was going positive things for my health and wellbeing.
yes Denise, thanks, there are a handful of very good sites. I can’t keep up with all of them either—I’m with you—I have to keep a certain balance with hard core reality and uplifting inspirational stuff.
Pharmalot is another site that is jam-packed with psych news.
I understand Denise and thank you. But I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing right now if I didn’t know the truth and I like to stay armed with the truth to help spread the truth. And Philip is key in that.
We all have to do what we need to do to take care of ourselves so I absolutely understand your stance and support you spending your time reading whatever you feel is uplifting!!
Personally, I like your site lots better. I would rather learn about healthy alternatives than hear all the negative effects of the psych drugs. You are one of those resilient people in my mind.